What the Strategy Builder does
The Strategy Builder takes a ticker, your directional bias, target DTE, and risk tolerance — then recommends specific options strategies ranked by fit. It eliminates the guesswork of choosing between 7 supported options strategies plus additional manual and contextual presets by matching market conditions to the right structure. Instead of asking "should I sell a put or an iron condor?", you enter your parameters and the builder tells you.
How to use it
Navigate to any ticker page and click "Strategy Builder" in the sub-navigation, or go to /ticker/[SYMBOL]/options-strategy-builder. Select your market bias (neutral, bullish, or bearish), your preferred DTE (typically 21 or 45 days for premium sellers), and your risk tolerance (conservative = defined risk only, moderate = semi-defined, aggressive = includes undefined risk). The builder instantly shows ranked strategy recommendations.
How strategies are selected
The selection engine evaluates each strategy against current market conditions: VRP (volatility risk premium), IV Rank, RV Ratio, term structure, earnings proximity, and your chosen bias. Strategies that require conditions the ticker doesn't meet are filtered out. For example, Short Strangles won't appear if earnings are within 7 days (hard block) or within 14 days for undefined-risk strategies, or if the RV Ratio signals a volatility spike. The remaining strategies are ranked by how well conditions match.
Understanding the results
Each recommended strategy shows: the strategy name and risk type (defined, semi-defined, or undefined), estimated premium and max loss, strike suggestions based on the expected move, and a brief explanation of why this strategy fits the current setup. Use the strikes as a starting point — always verify pricing in your broker before entering a trade.
Free vs Starter strategies
Free users see the top-ranked strategy recommendation per ticker (name only). Starter subscribers unlock up to 3 ranked strategies per ticker with computed strike prices and risk parameters. All 7 strategy templates in the catalog are available for manual exploration in the Strategy Builder regardless of tier.
Strategy categories
VolRadar organizes strategies into three categories. Income strategies (Short Put, Short Strangle, Jade Lizard) collect premium with directional or neutral bias. Spread strategies (Put Credit Spread, Bear Call Spread, Iron Condor, Iron Butterfly) define risk on both sides. Volatility strategies (Calendar Spread, Broken Wing Butterfly) exploit term structure or skew. Each category works best under specific market conditions, and the builder matches them automatically.